Jacob Renamed
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Biblical Timeline
We are in the second age, The Patriarchs.
“Patriarchs” (“fathers”) is the name given to Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob—the major characters in Gen 12–50. This family became the ancestors of the nation of Israel.”
Jacob
The Patriarchs are an important part of the redemptive plan of God because it is to them and their descendants that God promised to bless all families (offer salvation. The Bible focuses on the nation of Israel, because they are the descendents of the patriarchs.
The 12 tribes of Israel are based off the 12 sons born to the patriarch Jacob.
Jacob had 2 major encounters with God at Bethel.
Outline tribes of Israel are based on the adapted from: Willmington, H. L. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999. Print.
The Return to Bethel (35:1)
The Return to Bethel (35:1)
God calls Jacob back to Bethel (1)
Genesis 35:1 (ESV)
1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
“Arise, go up to Bethel...”
Bethel - Bethel means the house of God (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.)
Bethel (Gen 28:10-22)
Jacob heading to Haran to the house of Laban. On the way he stopped near Luz to sleep for the night. In his dream he saw.
Genesis 28:12–15 (ESV)
12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Jacob believed that this place was special and renamed it Bethel (house of God).
Genesis 28:16–17 (ESV)
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
God is bringing Jacob back to the spot that he first meet with him and gave him the promise.
“Make an altar there to the God...”
altar n., a raised structure on which gifts or sacrifices to a god are made; often made of stone. (403x) (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Genesis 35:7 (ESV)
7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.
El-bethel
This term means the “the God of Bethel.”
God The Hebrew word used here is ha-elohim; in the Hebrew text it is accompanied by the definite article (“the”), which at times indicates that Yahweh is the God, set apart from, and superior to, all others (see Deut 4:35). Here, its use indicates the significance of the Bethel event—that the true God, Yahweh, had passed on His promises to Jacob at that time and place. (Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)
The Renewal of Jacob’s Household (35:2–7)
The Renewal of Jacob’s Household (35:2–7)
Jacob’s instructions to his household (2-3)
Genesis 35:2–3 (ESV)
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”
Jacob after hearing the command of the Lord addresses his household (Wives, children, servants, and others living with him) that they are going to Bethel and he commands them to purify themselves.
“Put away your foreign gods...”
to remove v., to remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off; also to remove something abstract. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Foreign gods - idol n., a pagan and material effigy that is worshiped as a representation or in lieu of a deity: (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Rachel stole her father’s god when they left. Servants may have brought their gods with them. They could have been a part of the plunder of Shechem (ch 34). Jacob is telling everyone within his household to put away these idols and commit to following God.
“Purify yourself...change your garments”
to cleanse (ritually) v., to purge of ritual impurities. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
The idea here is that Jacob’s household separate themselves from the gods they worship with whatever they wore in commitment to them and commit themselves to the God that he meet in Bethel.
They are going to Bethel (house of God) seen as a holy place and they need to purify themselves to enter into this sacred place.
Sacred Place - Places that are set apart or special because of their association with worship or the presence of a deity. (Witthoff, David, ed. The Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014. Print.)
The tabernacle and temple. Sacrifices and Priesthood.
“an altar to the God...”
altar n., a raised structure on which gifts or sacrifices to a god are made; often made of stone. (403x) (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Telling his household that we will worship and sacrifice to the God at Bethel.
Jacob’s household obeys (4)
Genesis 35:4 (ESV)
4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
Gathered all the gods and earrings, then buried them.
“Burial of the foreign gods and rings at this place, and under this tree, marks a surrender of these items and the people of Jacob’s household to the lordship of Yahweh.” (Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)
Jacob travels to Bethel (5-7)
Genesis 35:5–7 (ESV)
5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.
God protected Jacob as he traveled.
“tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)
God protected them because of the event of the deception and killing of the men of Shechem, because Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land defiled Dinah. (Gen 34)
God protected them on their journey from the, “surrounding cities”.
**Then they arrived at Bethel and built the alter. (7)
The Renaming of Jacob (35:9–15)
The Renaming of Jacob (35:9–15)
The Lord blessed Jacob (9)
Genesis 35:9 (ESV)
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.
God appears to Jacob and blesses him. This is happening 30 years after God first appeared to Jacob in the dream in Bethel.
to bless (favor) v., to invoke (or enact) divine favor, often implying a positive disposition or kind actions toward the recipient. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
God is blessing Jacob through the covenant relationship and what God is going to do through his descendants. God’s blessing is not necessarily physical or monetary blessing.
God’s blessing will be through what he says next to Jacob.
The Lord renames Jacob (10)
Genesis 35:10 (ESV)
10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel.
God renames Jacob to Israel.
Jacob
Jacob is names through his birth as he grabbed the heal of Esau his brother. (Gen 25)
Genesis 25:26 (ESV)
26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
“The name Jacob is a play on the Hebrew word for “heel” (עָקֵב, ’aqev). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. After receiving such an oracle, the parents would have preserved in memory almost every detail of the unusual births.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)
Esau shows that there is a negative understanding of Jacob’s name.
Genesis 27:35–36 (ESV)
35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
“Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.” (The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.)
Israel
Reminding Jacob of the change in his name from an earlier encounter with God.
Genesis 32:24–29 (ESV)
24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.
Jacob wrestled with God.
“32:28 name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel Jacob’s name must be changed due to its association with his misdeeds (see note on Gen 25:26; note on 27:36). Here, the reasoning for the name Israel (yisra'el, in Hebrew) is the verbal phrase “you have striven with (or struggled with) God.” This suggests the name derives from the Hebrew verb sarah, meaning “to struggle,” “to strive,” or “to fight.” The name yisra’el itself could mean “God will struggle,” “May God struggle” or “God fights,” suggesting that the meaning given here is wordplay. (Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)
“The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the LORD was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)
The name Israel would become the Identity and name of God’s people.
The Lord restated the covenant with Jacob (11-12)
Genesis 35:11–12 (ESV)
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
God reiterates the promise that he made to Jacob at the first meeting with the dream. (Gen 28:10-15) This is a continued promise God made with Abraham and Isaac.
God emphasizes the Land and numerous descendents.
"A nation—even a company of nations—will descend from you"
“The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you."
Jacob worships the Lord (13-15)
Genesis 35:13–15 (ESV)
13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
Memorial
Pillar memorial n., a pillar (made of stone) set up as a memorial. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Jacob set up this pillar as a memorial of this encounter with God and what God promised. It is similar to what he did after the first meeting with God with the stone he slept on.
Worship
Drink offering - libation n., a serving (of wine) poured out in honor of a deity (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
“The drink offering was originally established in the covenant community as an appropriate form of worship, although it might also be perverted through the influence of heathen cultic ritual. Jacob was the first to be referred to as presenting a drink offering (cf. Gen 35:14). But it was not until after the Exodus from Egypt that the laws governing the nēsek were established. As a rule, a drink offering was to be presented along with burnt offerings and cereal offerings (Ex 29:40; Lev 23:13; Num 15:1–10).” (Wilson, Marvin R. “1375 נָסַך.” Ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 1999: 581–582. Print.)
Lessons from Jacob
Lessons from Jacob
Example to follow - Jacob commits to following God.
Jacob committed to following God only and asked his entire household to get rid of foreign gods and commit to God alone.
He accepted the word of God and worshiped Him.
Historical truths - God’s covenant promise to the Patriarchs bring about the Israelite nation.
This is an important part of the redemptive story of God because Jesus will be one of the descendant of this line. He is the one that will bring the blessing to all the families.
This promise, that has been repeated by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is the promise of the Messiah. It is a clear proclamation that the Messiah will come from the nation of Israel.
Benediction
2 Peter 1:2–3 (ESV)
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,